Japan most pessimistic about future among 4 Asian democracies: poll

TOKYO - Japanese are the most pessimistic about the future of their country among people in four Asian democratic countries also including India, Indonesia and Malaysia, a joint survey by think tanks in the four countries showed Monday.

A total of 48.0 percent of Japanese respondents said they are pessimistic, up from 39.8 percent last year, citing "no effective measures against a declining birthrate and aging population" as the top reason for their perception. Some 31.3 percent said they are optimistic, up 10.6 points.

The result contrasts with other countries polled in the survey, in which 89.2 percent of respondents in Indonesia, 60.1 percent of those in India and 50.7 percent of those in Malaysia said they are optimistic about the future of their respective nations.

In the previous survey last year which included India and Indonesia, Japan was also the most pessimistic nation.

Genron NPO President Yasushi Kudo said at a joint press conference that the survey showed respondents having relatively low trust in political parties and parliament but higher trust in institutions such as the military and police.

The survey also covered South Korea but people there were not asked about their feelings on the future of the country.

"There's a concern that perhaps democracy, which develops through engagement of citizens, is not functioning," Kudo said.

In response to a question about expectations for the United States in exerting leadership for liberal order and democracy in the world, 66.5 percent in India, 56.3 percent in Japan and 53.3 percent in Indonesia said they have hopes for its leadership.

On China, more than 60 percent in Japan and India said they do not expect the country to exert leadership, while Indonesians were divided, with 45.0 percent saying they do and 46.6 percent saying they do not.

"Indonesians actually need Japan as a balance to China...that's why you see expectations from Indonesia for Japan to take a leading role," Ati Nurbaiti, senior editor of The Jakarta Post, who took part in conducting the survey, said at the press conference.

She was referring to the result showing that 57.3 percent of Indonesians say they expect Japan to exert leadership.

The survey, covering a total of 6,843 people, was conducted by Genron NPO, the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Indonesia, Observer Research Foundation in India, Merdeka Center in Malaysia and East Asia Institute in South Korea. It was conducted between June and August in the five countries.